Our Ickle Ronniekins
by lauren7
Summary: The Weasley Twins are at it again; this time they're meddling in their brothers love life. Of course with just the *best* intentions. But with a little help from the twins and Harry, Ron and Hermione get to be quite good friends. But not everyone's happy.
1. Tainted Sodas

Our Ickle Ronnikins (1/4)  
By Lauren  
daisycutter5889@hotmail.com  
Rated PG  
Keywords: romance, comedy, Ron, Hermione  
Summary: Fred and George Weasley are at it again; this time they're meddling in their brothers love life. Of course with just the *best* intentions. But with a little help from the twins and Harry, Ron and Hermione get to be quite good friends. Of course not everyone is happy about this. Takes place during the trio's fifth year at Hogwarts.  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
Ships: R/Hr, H/G hinted, and D/Hr hinted.

* * *

"Checkmate."

"Well I guess you've won again"

Ron had just finished up a nice game of chess with Harry. Ron won once again, and Harry had gotten quite used to him winning all the time. Suddenly, their friend Hermione appeared in the Gryffindor common room, a sack of books slung over her shoulder.

"I guess it's studying time," said Ron as Hermione put her books on the table and flopped on the couch.

"Yea, well, you would have trouble studying too if your room was full of giggling girls," Hermione said hotly. She didn't look like she was in the best mood.

"Sorry," retorted Ron, "Just trying to make conversation." He suppressed his need to shout.

"Well you aren't very good at it!" exclaimed Hermione. She stood up, pointing her finger at Ron. "All you ever do is try to make jokes when people are serious!"

"Don't you know…"

"… it's rude to point?" Fred and George Weasley descended the boy's staircase,

looking as identical as they ever did. "We know you love our Ickle Ronnikins," suggested Fred or George.

"I do not!" Hermione shouted. "_Accio soda_" was the next thing out of her mouth. A glass of soda came flying into the room. Hermione took a sip, her throat raw from arguing.

Fred and George looked at each other. "She's in denial," they said in unison. Ron blushed profusely. Fred and George sat on either side of Hermione. Ron, not fancying looking like a fool and just standing there, sat in an armchair.

Harry looked at them all. "I think this is my cue to exit stage left," he said as he finished putting away the chess set. He went up the staircase to his dormitory.

"Hermione you're quite confusing," Ron said. "You get mad at me for making conversation, but when Harry jokes around you think nothing of it. What's up with that?"

"Are you out to get him?" said George "Or do you just like him so much you don't want him to go away, even if it means you have to verbally abuse our little brother?"

"I'm not verbally abusing him!" Hermione responded. Then she stopped shouting, and a feeling of peace washed over her. She suddenly felt quite tired. She fell into a deep sleep, snoring loudly.

"Wow, I didn't know Madam Pomfrey's sleeping potion worked in soda!" exclaimed Fred. "So, Ron, how ya doin'?"

"Um… okay… I guess…" His voice trailed off. He looked at Hermione.

"Well then, let's get down to business," George said. "Do you fancy her?"

"Uh… no?" Ron blushed again. "Why would I tell you? Give me one good reason." His voice came back.

Fred and George looked at each other. "If I didn't know better I'd think he fancies her," they said at the same time.

"I do not!" Ron shouted.

"Yea whatever. We know you do," Fred said.

"Have you got any proof?" Ron asked. He had only told one, well, _thing_ his feelings about Hermione. His jaw dropped in horror when that thing materialized itself out of George's pocket.

"_Dear Diary,_" George began, "_I saw Hermione again today. I caught her eye in Potions, and she smiled at me. It was wonderful. Then I spilled the mixture Harry and I were working on and that slimy git Snape assigned me extra homework. But it was okay because Hermione helped me on it._" George sighed, then snapped the book shut and stuffed it into a pocket of his robe.

"This is a joke!" exclaimed Ron. "A bloody joke! I'll bet there's not even sleeping potion in that soda!" He took a swig. Suddenly, he felt very tired. He drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Fred and George looked at each other. "Time to get to work."

* * *

Ron awoke later on that evening. He kept his eyes shut, because he didn't want to get blinded by the light. 'I guess it wasn't a joke, they really did taint Hermione's soda,' he thought. He felt like falling back asleep because his bed was so comfortable…

He sat up with a start. "What am I doing in my bed?" he questioned no one in particular. The last thing he remembered was George reading an excerpt from his diary to him about his misadventures in Potions, and getting quite ticked at him and George. He knew he was in the common room last. How the heck did he get in his bed? All of a sudden he felt something pulling him back down. He looked over and saw Hermione grabbing his robe, still fast asleep. 'Today is not my day,' he thought. He climbed out of bed, quiet not to wake Hermione, and crept out of his dormitory. In the hall he encountered Fred, George, and Harry.

"What were you thinking?" he shouted at Fred (or George, he couldn't tell). "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," Fred said with mock innocence.

"Just a little surprise," said George. Ron was furious.

"Ron, while you were asleep, we had a little fun reading a certain book by a certain author," Harry said.

"You're in on this, too?" Ron asked Harry. "Today is seriously not my day." He wished he could disappear, which was possible at Hogwarts, even probable, but he knew it wouldn't happen, not with his luck.

"Ron," Harry began, "do you like Hermione?"

"What?" Ron said. He really didn't want to answer this question with Fred and George there.

"You heard me. Do. You. Like. Hermione?"

"Why would I like _her?_" Ron said involuntarily. "I mean, she's stubborn, she studies in her spare time, she's annoying, we always argue… Yea, I like her."

Suddenly they heard a scream in Harry and Ron's dormitory. "Strange," said Fred. "That sounded quite like Hermione." The twins and Harry burst out laughing. "What did ya do, leave her in there?"

"Uh… well don't you think she would get the wrong idea if I woke her up?" Ron said.

"Ron, I think she's already got the wrong idea," George said.

Hermione jumped out of bed and stomped her way down the hallway. "WHAT IN GOD'S NAME HAVE YOU DONE THIS TIME RON?!?!" She didn't look quite happy.

Ron was taken aback, though he knew he should have expected her to suspect he was to blame. Nevertheless, "I didn't do it!" was all he could manage at the moment.

Fred came to the rescue, so to speak. Fred walked up to Ron and started searching in his collar. "I know it's in here somewhere," Fred said.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ron asked.

"Aha! I found it!" Fred exclaimed. He held something is his hand which was no more that a centimeter wide. He said something, and the something in his hand grew to full size.

"It's a tape recorder," George said to Hermione as if she didn't know what it was. "We bewitched it so it would work at Hogwarts." Fred pressed rewind, then after a few seconds pressed play.

"Ron, do you like Hermione?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Do. You. Like. Hermione?"

"Why would I like her?_ I mean, she's stubborn, she studies in her spare time, she's annoying, we always argue… Yea, I like her."_

Fred pressed stop on the recorder. "I think we should leave you two alone," he said. Fred, George, and Harry walked down the hall, laughing all the way.

* * *

"Ron, what kind of joke is this?" Hermione questioned. "I know that Fred and George did their thing, putting us to sleep and, well, you know. But do you think I'm that tricked that easily? Do you think I would actually believe you? Even if you told me to my face that you liked me I wouldn't believe you."

"Hermione…" Ron approached her.

"Don't you dare 'Hermione' me!" Hermione was livid.

"Hermione… I- it's not a joke," he stammered. Then he blushed. 'Curse my pale skin!' he thought as he felt he blood in his face. He was a couple feet away.

"Oh and now you deny the fact it's a joke! Don't you think you're carrying it on a little far?"

"I told you it's not a joke!" Their noses were an inch away. He put his arms around her.

"Get your hands off me!" she exclaimed.

"Hermione… if you would just shut up and let me explain."

"Ron you slimy little –"

She was cut off as he kissed her. He looked at her. "Hermione, if you don't believe me now I'll walk away and just forget about this. If you do, though, would you at least tell me?"

Hermione was quite surprised, but she knew it was all good. She put her arms around him and kissed him back. "I believe you, Ron."

* * *

Harry got out of his armchair, tired of waiting for Ron and Hermione. He could hear her shouting before, but he couldn't hear Ron. Now he heard nothing, so he decided to investigate. "C'mon Fred, George, let's go." The trio crept up the stairs, trying to keep quiet so they wouldn't interrupt whatever was going on. What they saw shocked and amazed them. Hermione and Ron… kissing? Harry cleaned off his glasses to make sure he was seeing this right. He was. He looked at Fred and George, whose faces were scarlet trying to hold in their laughter. They didn't succeed. Their laughter came out quite loud. Ron, knowing he was spotted, blushed again, but he didn't let go.

Fred cleared his throat. "Sorry," he said. "We didn't mean to ruin the moment." He walked up to Ron and slapped his back. "Awww, our ickle Ronnikins, he's growing up into such a big boy! I remember when you were just a little bugger, and when you ate Mum's shopping list and blamed it on Ginny."

"Those were the days," George said.

"I never ate Mum's shopping list!" Ron exclaimed. "And quit calling me that, whatever it means."

"You're right," Fred said. "You didn't. But it was still funny." He sighed. "Well this is all great fun, but I feel we really must dash. _Ciao_." The twins and Harry left the new couple in the hall.

"Hermione," Ron said, "What was the Potion's essay from this morning?"

"Um… we were to write about the various Upside- Down Potions and how they were useful during the Renaissance."

"I should probably do that, shouldn't I?" Ron said.

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot!" Hermione suddenly shouted. "I didn't finish studying! What if your brother's did something to my textbooks? Oh, I could murder them sometimes!" She swept out of the room, leaving Ron, surprised, in the corridor.

He started after her. "Some things never change," he said to himself. When he reached the common room, he saw a small brown book on the armchair, which he pocketed.


	2. Anti - Slytherin

Our Ickle Ronnikins (2/4)  
By Lauren  
daisycutter5889@hotmail.com  
Rated PG  
Keywords: romance, comedy, Ron, Hermione  
Summary: Fred and George Weasley are at it again; this time they're meddling in their brothers love life. Of course with just the *best* intentions. But with a little help from the twins and Harry, Ron and Hermione get to be quite good friends. Of course not everyone is happy about this. Takes place during the trio's fifth year at Hogwarts.  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
Ships: R/Hr, H/G hinted, and D/Hr hinted.

* * *

The next day, Ron dragged himself out of bed at a very early hour. He didn't like it, but he wanted to look good for Hermione. He jumped in the shower, making sure to use up all of the hot water. He never got hot water in the mornings because he was always the last one to awake. He got out of the shower and put a towel on. He used a drying charm on his hair, but it took a while because his hair was a little too long. Now it was time for him to train his tresses to stay put. He used half of a bottle of Heloise's Hair Hijinx Hider and still wasn't satisfied. 'Oh well, it'll have to do,' he thought. He put on his robes, which he was totally disgusted with because every brother of his had owned them previously. He hadn't noticed it before, but his robes shorter than they had been when he first came to Hogwarts that year. Of course, with his luck, he didn't know how to fix them, so he just left them be. He exited the shower. Still, no one was awake. He descended the stairs to the Common Room, and waited for his friends to awaken.

* * *

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were in the Great Hall. Harry was eating his porridge, Hermione was reading Hogwarts, A History for the quintillionth time, and Ron was doing his best to finish his Potions essay, because he had been procrastinating yet again. He and Hermione were holding hands under the table. Ron put down his quill and ran his fingers through his hair. "I think that should do it," he muttered. He rolled up his parchment, not caring that his essay was only half the required length and that it had nothing to do with Upside- Down Potions.

Everyone at Hogwarts knew about Ron and Hermione, and obviously there was talk about it. Ron figured that even some of the teachers knew about it, and he didn't care what they thought. He only cared about Hermione. Suddenly there was commotion at the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy got up and walked over to the Gryffindor table, shouting so everyone could hear him, "Well, well, well, if it isn't the two lovebirds nestled in each other's arms. How nice," Ron glared at Malfoy.

"Get lost," he snarled.

"Weasley, you might be a poor, unsatisfactorily dressed pessimist, but why would you stoop so low to love a Mudblood?" Draco sighed. "What a pity," he muttered. He had approached Ron, trying to look as cool as possible.

Ron, with pure fury and hatred in his eyes, stood up. "Ron, just let it slide," Hermione whispered, her eyes pleading. "Just ignore him."

"Hermione," he whispered to her. "I've let it slide too many times. I won't let him insult you like that." By now everyone was watching them. The Professors weren't paying any attention, like they thought Draco deserved what was coming.

Ron straightened. "Malfoy," he said as if the name was hated as much as Voldermort's. "You can insult my family, my clothes, my name, my lack of money, my personality, my appearance. You can insult every last freckle on my face if you please. But you will not insult my Hermione if you know what's good for you."

Harry and Hermione were shocked. Neville Longbottom had hidden under the table. The Weasley twins cheered Ron ("Gooooooo Ron!"). But Ron was oblivious to them. All he cared about was making Malfoy pay. He straightened to his full height, about a foot and a half taller than Draco. He grabbed the front of Draco's robe, and hit him. Hard. Ron released Draco, and he fell to the floor. Draco took a moment to recover. He coughed, and spit blood on the tile floor. Then he swung at Ron, his fist connecting with his shoulder. Then Ron told Draco to do something not very nice. Fred and George burst out laughing, but Ron was quite serious.

"Language, Weasley. You really should control your temper, it's going to get you into trouble someday," Draco said smoothly, though it was hard for him to act cool when his lip was bleeding.

Harry, looked over at the professors. Snape was talking to Dumbledore and gesticulating wildly. But, no matter what Snape was trying to do, Draco was in for it. So he continued with his verbal retorts.

"Weasley, you're just scum. You and your whole family. And I'm sure that includes Potter, who hasn't got a real family, and the Mudblood, who…" Ron snapped. He jumped on Draco, knocking him over. Ron was punching him in his face as hard as he could. Someone, probably a Gryffindor, said, "Yea, Weasley, you get that slimy prat!"

Draco had a black eye, a broken nose, and his lip was bleeding. Suddenly, Ron stopped punching him. He rose, leaving Draco just lying there. Ron realized what he had just done. "Get your sorry self to the hospital wing," he muttered. He sat back down in his chair. Hermione was thanking God that he hadn't been hurt, and that Snape hadn't been there to say 'Fifty points from Gryffindor, and detention for the next month. She didn't know that nobody at the table would have cared if all the points were taken away from Gryffindors. They knew the slimy prat deserved every bit of it.

* * *

After they finished eating breakfast Ron, Hermione, and Harry watched the food disappear from the table. Then they got up out of their chairs, gathered their stuff, and headed for Potions. Ron and Harry each only had their Potions book, essay, quills and ink in their bags, but Hermione had all of her textbooks (just in case she had spare time to study), her Potions homework (which was four times the minimum length requirement), extra parchment (to take notes), ink, and quills in her bag. As a result from carrying all of this, she was walking with very bad posture and could barely keep her balance.

"Hermione… do you want me to carry your bag?" Ron asked.

"No," Hermione replied. "I think I can manage."

"Okay," Ron said, not believing a word of it. After a while he spoke again. "Are you sure?" he asked.

She looked at him, her eyes sparkling. "Are _you_ sure?"

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Would I have asked you if I wasn't?" he replied.

Hermione smiled mischievously. "I don't know, would you?"

Harry cut in their conversation. "Well there's no point _now_ because we're already there." Sure enough, the trio had arrived right in front of their Potions classroom. They walked in and took their seats, which unfortunately were in the front of the room. Professor Snape walked in, and class started.

"Class," he began. "I'm quite sure all of you were at breakfast earlier today, so I'm also sure you saw certain… _events_ during that point in time. I will leave you to discuss that." He paused, his gaze falling on Ron. "Weasley – in my office – _now_."

Ron followed Professor Snape to his office. Snape closed the door and look at Ron. Ron stared right back. Snape was fuming. He cleared his throat and tried to keep his emotions in check. He spoke.

"Weasley, you are quite lucky Dumbledore and Mcgonagall were on your side at breakfast. If I had my way you would be _expelled_. I think your friend Harry Potter saw me trying to convince Dumbledore to step in, but he wouldn't hear any of it. I'm sure Lucius Malfoy –"

"Lucius Malfoy is a sodding Death Eater, and he's already against my family!" Ron shot back furiously. He didn't exactly enjoy being scolded by his least favorite teacher.

"_YOU HAVE NO PROOF HE'S A DEATH EATER!!!_" Snape snapped back. "And so what if he's already against your family? I'm sure he's not going to be any fonder of you after he hears about this. Obviously your family is quite poor by the looks of it. I've even seen your house, when your father was in the Daily Prophet. It's called 'The Burrow' isn't it? I could see why."

Ron went scarlet in the face from being so mad. "I know we're poor, you don't have to rub it in!"

"SHUT UP!" Snape snarled. "I've had enough of you and your brothers and sister, always giving me trouble. Almost as bad as Potter. Just… get out of here and go sit down!"

Ron ran out of the office, looking really, really ticked off. He took his seat between Hermione and Harry. Hermione, sensing his pain, put her arms around him, trying to comfort him as best she could. He held his head in his hands as if he has a headache. He was ashamed because of what Malfoy and Snape said to him. It hit him harder than Malfoy could have ever punched him. Malfoy, thankfully, was still in the infirmary, but after a while Snape came back out.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "please get out your homework from last night and put it on your desks. I will come by and collect it." Harry got out all of their homework and put them on their desk while Snape's back was turned.

Harry whispered to Hermione, "Try to talk to him tonight while I'm at Quidditch practice, okay?" Hermione nodded.


	3. Er... Harry and Ginny?

Our Ickle Ronnikins (3/4)  
By Lauren  
daisycutter5889@hotmail.com  
Rated PG  
Keywords: romance, comedy, Ron, Hermione  
Summary: Fred and George Weasley are at it again; this time they're meddling in their brothers love life. Of course with just the *best* intentions. But with a little help from the twins and Harry, Ron and Hermione get to be quite good friends. Of course not everyone is happy about this. Takes place during the trio's fifth year at Hogwarts.  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
Ships: R/Hr, H/G hinted, and D/Hr hinted.

* * *

Harry woke up the next morning. He had come back from Quidditch practice quite late, after Ron went to sleep. Harry had been worried about Ron for the past day. Harry decided to get out of bed and go to the Common Room.

Harry had already taken a shower when he got back from practice. He knew it had been late, but he smelled like the Dursley's old garbage can. He walked by Ron's bed and heard no sound. "Hmmm," he said to himself, puzzled. He exited the room, figuring Ron would sleep in like he usually did.

He descended the boy's staircase and found something that struck him as quite odd. Hermione and Ron were asleep on the couch, Hermione in a nightdress with her bathrobe over it and Ron in pajamas too small for him. A book was open on the table. Harry examined it' it was Hermione's Transfiguration textbook. The night before he had seen Hermione studying when he came in, but Ron hadn't been there.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open, she had subconsciously sensed someone was watching her. She slowly released herself from Ron's grasp and stood up.

"Hermione," Harry said, "did you and Ron talk last night?"

"Uh… no… we got too tired…" She slumped into an armchair. "I'm really sorry, I've been studying for the OWLs though.

"Well we best find out then," Harry said. He walked up to Ron and shook his shoulder. No response. "Ron, wake up!" Harry said as he harder. Still no response, except that Ron backhanded Harry as he tried to get comfortable again.

"RON, WAKE UP!" he yelled again. He heard someone yell from the boy's dorm ("SHUT UP!") but Ron wouldn't wake up.

"Here, let me try," Hermione said. She crept up to Ron, keeping as quiet as she could. She lowered her face to his ear and whispered, "Ron, there's a spider in your hair –,"

Ron shot up, shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair. "GET THE BLOODY THING OUT!" he yelled. After a couple of seconds he looked up at Hermione and Harry and knew immediately it was a joke. "It's not funny!" he said, even though he knew it was. "How much time until breakfast?" he asked Harry, blinking. He had a watch, but didn't feel like looking at it.

Harry looked at his own. "About an hour I'd reckon, unless I did something at to it practice last night."

Harry decided it was time to ask Ron what Snape had said the day before. "Ron, if you don't mind me asking, what did Snape say yesterday?"

"Well…" Ron said. "He told me that I was lucky Dumbledore wouldn't stop me from beating Malfoy up. Then he told me I would probably be hearing from Lucius pretty soon. Not that I care. I told him I didn't, because _I just don't care_ what some sodding Death Eater says. Even though they collaborate with You- _Don't-_ Know- Who, but oh well. Snape got really mad and criticized my family for being poor." He paused, catching his breath and letting it all sink in. "Then he said he could see why we call our house 'The Burrow'."

Hermione cut in. "I like The Burrow!" she said.

"Yea," Harry said. "I like it too." He though for a moment. "Hey let's name my house something!"

Ron suggested something that rhymes with 'well' and starts with 'H'. They laughed.

"Well anyway, I got mad and Snape kicked me out of his office," Ron said. "Then I came out and… well… you know the rest."

"Ron," Harry said, "does it bother you?"

"What?"

"How, well, your family is, well… that is…"

"Poor? Yea kind of. I mean, almost _everything_ I own has been owned by someone else. And there's other stuff. I've told Hermione some of it. If you look at any of my siblings you know instantly who they are. Bill and Charlie are the cool ones, Perfect Prefect Percy, Fred and George, the jokers… Heck, Ginny's just different 'cause she's a _girl_. What am I known for? I'm best friends with the two most famous students at Hogwarts. I'm not known for _my_ achievements, people just know me because I'm that Weasley that hangs out with you guys. It's not like I've got anything against you, I mean, I'm _going out with you, Hermione,_ but… it makes me feel like Waste- Of- Space Weasley or something crazy like that.

Hermione and Harry didn't know that Ron was hurt _that_ badly. They would have never guessed that they were partly the cause of Ron's troubles. "Well," Hermione said, "I know I can't help you with being poor, but I can give you some advice. You can only become known if you make yourself known." Hermione was happy that she has thought of advice on such a short notice, but stopped a laugh when she saw the confused look on Ron's face. Answering his thoughts, she said, "That means people will only know you if you try to get to know them. Like find a common interest with some one. No girls though. I know they all secretly think you're attractive…" She winked at him.

Harry thought for a moment. "Just remember this, too. I might have a small fortune and I might be famous, but I would give it up in a second for one thing. If I could be like your brother or something. Because your family might not be rich in money, but you're rich in _love_. Love is what counts. All I have is an aunt and uncle that are disappointed whenever I come home for the summer holiday alive even though I had a thousand chances to die. I think it's sick, but I'm stuck with it."

"You could marry Ginny," Ron suggested.

"No he likes Cho," Hermione said.

Harry blushed. "When did this turn to my love life?" he said.

Ron sighed. "Well I guess you guys are right." He sighed again. "Hey I got a good idea, let's go get dressed and get some breakfast."

"Okay," Hermione and Harry agreed. They left the Common Room to go to their dorms.

"Ron," Harry said, "that one thing you said was funny."

"What?"

"The thing about 'You- _Don't-_ Know- Who. That was good."

Ron's ears went pink.

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione exited the portrait hole and headed to the Great Hall. They walked in and sat at their regular seats, waiting for everyone to come in. Draco Malfoy was sitting at the Slytherin table. He had gotten out of the hospital wing the day before. Malfoy was talking to Crabbe and Goyle and furtively glancing at Harry, Ron and Hermione as they waited for their breakfast to appear.

The Headmaster, Dumbledore, walked in and began talking to Professors McGonagall and Snape. Then they sat down as a great _whoosh_ reached their ears. The morning post flew in, and a grand eagle owl came swooping in and deposited a forget- me- not blue envelope in Ron's lap.

"Wow! Wonder who'd be sending me mail with _this!_" Ron exclaimed in awe. Soon after, a commotion stirred at the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy got up and walked toward the Gryffindors, projecting his voice.

"Weasley," Draco shouted. "I see you've received Father's owl." Indeed, in the place of the return address was Lucius Malfoy's fancy signature.

"Don't come any closer," Ron snapped. "Unless you want your face bashed in."

"I don't think anyone is going to be doing any 'bashing'," Draco said coolly and he approached Ron. At the snap of his fingers Crabbe and Goyle jumped to Draco's aid. "Go on, read your letter."

Ron tore furiously at the envelope and opened the blue stationary. The short letter read:

Dear Mr. Ronald Weasley,

Today Professor Severus Snape informed me that you had attacked my son, the proceeded to call me a 'sodding Death Eater'. I am making it known to you that next time you even mention _another attack on Draco I will personally request you expulsion, and furthermore, I shall do what is in my power to remove your father from his position in the Ministry of Magic._

Sincerely,

Lucius Malfoy

P.S.: Money is power.

Ron looked up to see Malfoy's leering smirk looming over him. Ron was scarlet from anger. Hermione, who had been reading the letter over Ron's shoulder, gasped, and her face went ashen. She didn't know if Ron could hold in his anger, or if the thin thread keeping him from exploding would break and… she didn't want to think about it. Ron blinked, and it seemed as if someone had turned on a light in his head. His face went calm. "Alright," he said, "You win, Malfoy."

Draco's jaw dropped. He had half-expected Ron to throw a punch at him, or at least react differently than _this_.

Ron continued. "If it means that much to you for you to go whining to you dad every time someone touches you, then fine. But you can go leave now, because I really don't want to look at you right now.

Draco still looked as if someone had just told him they had cancelled Christmas. As he searched for words his face screwed into shock, and his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish out of water. Word's formed in his brain, but he couldn't voice them. Crabbe and Goyle looked dumbfounded as usual.

Harry smiled. He and everyone else knew that by Ron admitting 'defeat' he has 'won'. Suddenly Dumbledore got up and walked over to the source of the scene. Ron noticed him and looked at Hermione and Harry. Dumbledore approached him and asked, "May I read the letter?" Ron handed it to him and he read it over quickly. After he finished he sighed and said, "I think the Malfoys have something against the Weasleys. I don't think you are going to be expelled anytime soon, not if I have a say in it. And, between you and me, I think I do have a say in these things." He handed a quill and a piece of parchment to Ron. "Go ahead, write him back." Dumbledore found an empty seat and watched Ron furiously scribble words, peppering his sentences with some not- so- nice word. When Ron finished he handed the letter to the headmaster. Without reading it, he conjured up and envelope and put the new letter inside of it. Ron addressed it and tied his reply to the eagle- owls claw. Malfoy still stood there, not accepting his 'defeat'. Ron shot him a scowl as he let the owl go. Malfoy walked away, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels. As Dumbledore walked away the porridge materialized.

Ron was still quite tired from staying up so late. For now, at least, his anger and worry had subsided. Besides, he had more important things to think about now, for example, Hermione.

"So," Hermione said, "What do you want to do tonight?"

"Dunno…" Ron said, "Weren't you going to study?"

"I think I've studied enough today."

"Well… why don't we just hang around? It's not like we can go anywhere, and were not going to Hogsmeade any time soon…"

"Okay," Hermione said, "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

After breakfast until lunch, the day want as usual for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They had their usual Gryffindor bashing in Potions, their usual Care of Magical Creatures class, and Herbology lesson… Everything was _unusually_ normal.

At lunch, however, Hermione decided what she and Ron were going to do after class. Harry read the note she passed to him. He nodded to her and she smiled.

"You guys talking 'bout me?" Ron asked as he watched Harry write something on a piece of parchment and hand it to Hermione.

"Um," Harry said. That was all he had time to say as a sandwich materialized on his plate. He stuffed half of it into his mouth.

"He's not allowed to talk with his mouth full," Hermione said pointedly. She winked at Ron as she picked up her sandwich and neatly bit a piece off.

Ron got the hint and didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he took out his quill and a piece of parchment then proceeded to do his homework for the next class. He inadvertently looked up… and saw Draco staring in his general direction. Draco had an odd expression on his face. Instead, he looked

"Hopeless," Ron muttered under his breath.

Hermione looked over. "What's hopeless?" she asked.

Ron gestured towards Draco with his quill. "Him. Can you see the look on his face?" Draco shook his head slightly, then glared at Ron and Hermione.

"That was odd," Hermione said. Suddenly, Fred and George walked up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and took two seats next to them.

"Hello, everyone!" they said at the same time. "How are you all this fine day?"

"Um, good." Harry said.

Fred, who was sitting next to Harry, cuffed him lightly on his shoulder. "So," Fred said, "Who do you fancy now?"

"Uh, no one?" Harry said cautiously.

"Oh, I see," George said, rubbing his chin in mock skepticism.

Luckily for Harry, their food disappeared and they all filed out of the Great Hall, Fred and George running ahead of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Where're we going next?" Harry asked.

"You've got Divination," Hermione said. "I have Arithmancy, because you two we're too stupid to drop Divination."

Ron groaned in despair. "I _hate_ that class!" he said loudly.

"Oh, shoot," Harry said as they rounded a corner. They saw three red- heads down the hallway.

"What're Fred and George doing down here?" Ron questioned. "They haven't got a class down this hall."

"And why is Ginny with them?" Harry asked as they approached them.

"'Lo Ron, Hermione," Fred said.

George chuckled. "And Harry. Just the man we've been looking for. All right, Harry?"

"Hullo George, hullo Fred," Harry said. "Hi Ginny, haven't seen you in awhile."

Ginny blushed. She looked at something on the ground. "Hi," she said in a small voice. She blushed crimson again. Hermione looked at Ron and raised her eyebrows. Ron looked clueless as ever. Fred winked at Hermione, as if he knew something.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the end of the hall. It was Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe, Goyle, and some other Slytherin fifth years. Ginny gasped quietly in surprise. The group of six Slytherins approached Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys.

"My, my," Draco drawled. "If it isn't the little Weasel."

"Leave her alone," Ron sneered. He had Fred and Gorge on his sides, who were just as menacing as Crabbe and Goyle.

"Little Weasel, have you sent Potter another valentine?" Draco said haughtily. He looked as if he had a foul taste in his mouth.

"I _said_," Ron repeated. "Leave my sister _alone!_"

"Yea!" Hermione joined in, standing on Fred's side. Pansy Parkinson matched her spot on the Slytherin side, standing by Crabbe.

Harry stood by Ginny and bent down to whisper something to her.

"Ginny," he said. "If something happens and they start fighting, run with me to that empty classroom. I don't want them hurting you."

Ginny looked in Harry's worry- filled eyes. "Okay," she said softly. All at once they heard shouts and Ron's fist connecting with Draco's face.

Harry picked Ginny up. "Come along," he muttered as he ran with Ginny in his arms.

Ron had punched Draco quite hard, making his nose bleed like a fountain. Suddenly the three very tall Weasleys and Hermione were on the six Slytherins. Fred had Crabbe in a headlock and George had grabbed the front of Goyle's robes. Hermione had a handful of Pansy's hair. Ron was sitting on Draco's stomach, punching the living daylights out of him. The two remaining Slytherins tried to help their comrades but ended up walking to their next class. Without warning, the eight students heard the far- away echo of high-heeled shoes, and immediately ran away from the scene.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny entered the empty classroom. Harry sat Ginny down in a chair. He took a seat on the floor next to red, crackling enchanted fire.

"So what happens now?" Ginny asked.

"Dunno," Harry said. "I guess we wait." Ginny got up and sat next to Harry by the fire. Instinctively, Harry put his arm around Ginny, and she laid her head on his shoulder. They sat there awhile, staring into the flames. Finally they heard the fighting stop, so they got up and parted ways to go to their classes.

* * *

Harry slipped into Divination quietly, hoping Professor Trelawney wasn't there yet. Luckily, she wasn't, so Harry took his seat next to Ron.

"So," Ron said. "Where did you go?"

"I took Ginny into the empty classroom down the hall," Harry replied.

"Oh… Why?"

"Dunno," Harry said. He shrugged his shoulders. "I just didn't want that creep Malfoy to hurt her."

"Okay." Ron thought for a moment. "Do you fancy her?"

"Um… I dunno." He avoided giving Ron a straight answer.

"Oh, okay." Ron looked away. "You know, this morning… I wasn't _serious_ about you marrying Ginny, you know?"

"Yea I know." Harry subconsciously ran his fingers through his hair. Harry stared at the back of Ron's head. Ron blew a strand of hair out of his face. He turned around to face Harry, looking in his eyes, trying to figure out the real meaning of his words. Harry's deep- green eyes stared right back, also searching for a meaning. He realized now what he felt for Ginny. He felt the way he never thought he would feel the first time he met Ginny. He knew he liked her, but he also still liked Cho. It was his turn to look away, and as he busied himself by looking through his bag he thought about Cho. He knew that Cho would most likely always love Cedric, even if it only meant holding onto his memory. Harry realized that he only liked Cho because of how she looked. But Ginny… she was more of a mystery to him. 'Okay,' he thought to himself. 'I like Ginny, now what?' He thought of what she had said to him in the empty classroom. 'What happens now?' he thought. He looked up when he heard Professor Trelawney enter the room, and both he and Ron prepared to go to sleep.


	4. Talk Shows

Our Ickle Ronnikins (4/4)  
By Lauren  
daisycutter5889@hotmail.com  
Rated PG  
Keywords: romance, comedy, Ron, Hermione  
Summary: Fred and George Weasley are at it again; this time they're meddling in their brothers love life. Of course with just the *best* intentions. But with a little help from the twins and Harry, Ron and Hermione get to be quite good friends. Of course not everyone is happy about this. Takes place during the trio's fifth year at Hogwarts.  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
Ships: R/Hr, H/G hinted, and D/Hr hinted.

* * *

Ron and Hermione watched the stars in an abandoned storage room in the Astronomy tower. Harry's Invisibility Cloak lay forgotten on a nearby table.

Ron looked over to see Hermione's profile. He didn't know why he didn't just snog her right then and there. He was still sort of bothered by his conversation with Harry, _but yea, this _is_ my _sister _we're talking about_, he thought. He blew a stray strand of fiery- red hair out of his eyes.

"Does it bother you?" Hermione asked, glancing over at Ron.

"What're you talking about?" Ron asked back.

"How Harry feels about Ginny."

Ron snapped. "What did he tell you? How does he feel about her? What is he _thinking_?" he exclaimed more than he asked.

Hermione flinched. "He didn't tell me anything. I thought he told you." Hermione thought for a moment. "You can totally tell anyway."

"No, he didn't…" Ron's voice trailed off. "But what is he thinking? He could have almost any other girl here. Why Ginny? She do anything for him…"

Hermione touched Ron's hand. "He's not going to take advantage of her… That's not like him."

Ron looked out the window. "Yea, I know… but still. Harry, my best friend, with my sister. Ginny, my sister, with my best friend. Them, together, doing stuff that people that are together do. My best friend and my sister… that's an accident waiting to happen…"

"'An accident waiting to happen'," Hermione scoffed. "Come _off_ it. Harry'll do what he wants."

Ron's brow furrowed. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Hermione took her hand off of Ron's. "_Exactly_ what I said." With that, she stormed away, taking the Invisibility Cloak and leaving Ron standing there, bewildered.

What did I do? Ron thought. _So that's what fighting's going to be like with her. No shouting matches. No yelling._ He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away. _I should've kissed her while I had the chance._

* * *

Hermione walked into the common room calmly. She saw Harry laying on the couch and threw the Invisibility Cloak at him. "Where's Ron?" Harry asked.

"He's still in the storage room," Hermione said.

"Hermione, how is he going to get back?"

Hermione crossed the crossed the room and grabbed the banister of the stairs. "I don't know and I don't care," she said. She walked up the stairs.

Harry looked nonplussed. _I don't know either,_ he thought.

* * *

"_Sorry!_" Ron exclaimed. "You're the one that told me to put the diced chocolate in _before_ the molasses!"

"Well," Hermione protested, "…you should have read the directions!"

"Hold it!" Harry yelled. "Hermione, no offense, but you are the one that's been hogging the directions the whole time."

Hermione looked at the crumpled piece of parchment in her hand. She groaned in frustration. "You guys are such… such…" Hermione searched her mind for an insult. All she could manage was "morons!" and by that time Professor Snape had intervened.

"What in God's name is going on here?" he asked as he viewed the scene. "Granger, sit over _there_," he pointed to an empty seat, "and work with Malfoy." Draco, who for once had been minding his own business, looked up at Snape with shock. "And ten points from Gryffindor!" Draco's horrendous expression softened a bit as Hermione gathered her things. As she picked up her things she glared at Ron and Harry. She walked to the back of the room and sat next to Draco, not saying a word to him.

Hermione sighed inwardly as she diced some chocolate. _Why did I have to go and call Harry and Ron morons? Of course it had to be during Snape's daily Gryffindor bashing. God he is such a biased, slimy git. _She poured some molasses in her cauldron, and stirred the bluish mixture. _Oh well, at least if I'm working with Malfoy I'm guaranteed to get a good grade. Snape's not about to give his favorite student a bad mark._ She gave Draco a sideways glance. _I really am the smartest person here. I don't need him to earn a good grade on this potion. _Hermione picked up a flask of water and poured it into the mixture. As she stirred it she looked at Harry and Ron. _This would be so much more fun if I was working with them. Ron and I are always getting into fights but… oh I don't know. I really wish last night would have never happened. _She looked at her potion, which had turned a turquoise color. _Harry's always been neutral whenever we fight. It's unlike him to take sides with Ron._ Hermione tried to fix her concentration on the potion, but soon found herself sneaking peeks at Draco. She sighed inwardly again. _It's no use thinking about it now. I'm stuck sitting next to the evilest fifth- year in this school. I've got to admit, though, he_ is _really cute, in an evil sort of way._ She studied Draco's expression. _He looks like he's daydreaming. I didn't know evil people daydreamed._ She pondered this for a moment. _Maybe he's not all that evil after all._

Draco stared at the endless ceiling of the dungeon. _I know she's staring at me… why aren't I telling her off?_ Draco looked down at the smooth slate of the table. _…I'm not having quite a good day. I guess I tell people off too much. I told Crabbe and Goyle off and now they're off working with Pansy. Ewww… Pansy keeps staring at me… ewww… No, you can never tell people off too much._

"Hey, Malfoy," Hermione said.

Draco snapped out of it. "Hmm?"

"Can you pass the pink stuff over there?"

Tell her off… tell her off… "Okay." He handed the pink solution to her. _Why didn't you tell her off?_ "Because she'll get ticked at me and we'll get a bad grade," he muttered to himself. _Oh, I don't know. It's better than sitting by Pansy, I guess. _He watched Crabbe and Goyle swooning over Pansy. "That's sick," he said.

"Well if you think it looks sick maybe you'll want to help out a little," Hermione said. She was balancing several things in her hands.

"No," Draco said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "not the potion." He gestured in Pansy's general direction. "Look at Crabbe and Goyle and Pansy. You can totally tell they like her."

"And you can totally tell she likes you."

"Excuse me?"

"She staring right at you."

"Ewww…" he said with a shudder.

"I think you are the one that took _her_ to the Yule Ball," Hermione said pointedly.

"Well…" Draco retorted, "it's not like I wanted to go _stag. _Do you know how _bad_ that would have looked?"

"Oh _wow_," Hermione said in mock horror. "It might have ruined your reputation."

"Sod _off_," Draco said. "It the potion almost done?"

"Almost," Hermione said as she added a crushed bay leaf. The potion turned lilac, popping and hissing. "There. Exactly like it should look."

Draco stared at the sizzling concoction. Professor Snape walked over to the pair. "Very nice," he said. "Much better than Weasley and Potter." Hermione and Draco looked at Harry and Ron. Ron was chopping furiously at something with a knife. Most of the time he would miss the object and put marks in the cool slate of the table. Harry was obviously avoiding Ron's frenzied hand, because Ron and knives don't mix.

"Wonder what's eating him," Draco said snidely.

"Dunno," Hermione lied, not taking to the hint of nastiness in Draco's voice.

Snape looked at the two of them. "This is a great potion. I was sure that would be… fifteen points for Slytherin and ten points for Gryffindor."

"Excuse me?" Hermione said. "How does he get five more points than me?"

"That should be obvious," Snape said. "It's clear that Malfoy did all of the work."

Hermione was livid, but she dared not argue with Snape, because she knew he would take points from Gryffindor if she did. Snape began to walk away, scribbling something in his grade book.

"A- actually, Professor," Draco said. _God, I sound like Professor Quirrel. _"Hermione did all of the work… I helped a little." Snape looked thoroughly digusted. He threw a look of contempt at Draco. _I wasn't supposed to do that!_ Draco thought to himself.

"Fine," Snape said through clenched teeth. He wrote something else in the brown, leather book. "_Fifteen_ points for Gryffindor and _ten_ for Slytherin." With that, Snape walked over to Neville and began to harass him.

He's never done anything like that. I'm dreaming. Hermione eyed Draco's steel- gray eyes skeptically. Draco arched an eyebrow. Hermione looked away and busied herself by looking in her bag for something. _No,_ she convinced herself. _It's real._

Hermione glanced up involuntarily, and noticed Ron's eyes staring in her direction. He had abandoned his cutting knife, leaving Harry to do the rest of the work. Hermione noticed Harry look up from the sheet of directions, and the look of anger on his face. _Harry looks like he wants to deck Ron._ She chuckled under her breath. _I'll bet he wishes he hadn't said anything._ Hermione sighed inwardly. _Why did I say what I said last night? Ron will think what he thinks about Harry and Ginny. I should know that by now. I wonder if Ron told Harry about what I said to him. Knowing him, he probably didn't. At least he got back all right. _Hermione set her bag back down on the table. _I shouldn't have said it, _she repeated in her mind.

The bell rang. Draco grabbed his book and began to walk away.

"Hey, Malfoy," Hermione called to the retreating form. Draco turned his head ever so slightly, and looked at Hermione out of the corners of his gray eyes. Hermione took a deep breath. She hadn't ever _thanked_ Draco for anything. Usually she was very ticked off at him. _There's a first time for everything…_ she thought to herself. "Thanks," she said, in a surprisingly clear voice.

Draco only nodded.

* * *

Later on that day, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were all hanging around in the Gryffindor Common Room. Tension hung so heavily in the air it could've been cut with a knife. Possibly a heavy-duty chainsaw, since this was the first time they were each on a "side". Ron and Hermione were ticked off at each other because of the Harry and Ginny situation, Ron was mad at Harry because of the same thing, and Harry and Hermione… well, they never *fought*, this was just an awkward moment for them. So, to sum it up, none of this would've happened if Ginny didn't exist. Unfortunately, for them at least, she did.

For Harry, there was a total of two living females that meant something to him: Hermione, of course, since she was his best friend, and Ginny, because once you save someone's life you don't forget it.

Harry looked at his watch – 11:07. He sighed and tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling. Shifting his eyes to the side, he saw Hermione squished in an armchair, reading, and Ron staring at the floor.

Ron didn't remember how they all ended up being alone in the Common Room, but they were. Ran also didn't know why he felt the way he did about Harry and Ginny being together. He kept reminding himself that they weren't yet, but even if they were, Harry was his _best friend_, and Ron would trust his life with him. _Okay_, he thought, _It's none of my business. If I tell them that this'll be over and we can get back to being friends._ He was about to say this when–

"Look," a voice said behind them. They all looked.

"Guys, this is my fault," Ginny said. She crossed the room and sat in an armchair.

"Wha–" the other three said in unison.

"I mean–" Ginny's voice faltered for a second, then gained strength. "You three have been glaring daggers at each other all day. None of you have talked to me either, and I put two and two together… I'm not stupid, and I don't want to feel guilty. So we're going to figure this out right now."

The other three looked around. Harry said, "Ginny, it's late, and I was just about to go to bed…"

Ginny looked at him. "Harry, do you want to do this now or wait and keep putting it off until it's too late? You guys have this circle of friendship that I know a lot of people envy, especially me. I'm not jealous, but I don't want to see it go to waste just because of a stupid thing like romance. Especially if it's my fault."

Ron sat up. "It's not your fault, Gin," he said. "It's mine." He waved his hand. "It's none of my business what you all do." He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, unless you do something stupid."

Harry smiled. "You mean, like bungee jumping?"

Hermione laughed. Ron and Ginny looked confused. "What's that?" Ron asked.

Hermione stood up. "Well, that was easy. I expected this to be like a talk show or something."

"What's that?" Ron asked.

"I'm going to bed," Hermione said.

"Me too," Ginny smiled at them all. "G'night"

"Hey," Ron called suddenly. "Hermione."

Hermione turned around. "What?"

"Er…" Ron looked at the floor. "Are we still, um, together?"

Hermione smiled. "Well, why don't we wait a while. We've got two years, anyway." She turned back and walked to her dormitory.

Ron and Harry were left in the Common Room. Ron slumped into a chair. "Well, that's great. Dang, my first girlfriend and I kept her for less than a week. Fred and George were right. I'm ickle, whatever that means."

"Pretty pathetic, eh?" Harry said, grinning. Ron threw a pillow at him. Harry laughed and caught it, his Seeker reflexes getting the better of Ron. Squishing it in his hands, he said, "Well, all's well that ends well." He threw the pillow back at Ron, hitting him on his shoulder.

"What does that mean, anyway?" Ron asked, laughing. "And who said that ended well?"

"Shut up!" Harry said. "I'm just trying to give you advice or something. It was crappy advice, though, because it sounded more like closing remarks on a talk show."

"What's a talk show?"

End


End file.
